Aim: To gain a better understanding of how online players value collectible items and gaining status and success in the game World of Warcraft.

Methodology: The data was collected through semi structured interviews with active World of Warcraft players. The answers were then put against existing theories on capital and subcultures, mainly the online gaming culture.

Results and conclusion: The players in the study had differing opinions, mainly because every person is unique and sees the game differently. Some patterns did emerge, however, that seemed to work well with the theoretical groundwork.

Future research possibilites: Building a similar study using a larger survey instead of personal interviews would make for a more general understanding of the population. It would also serve to either confirm or dispute the findings in this study. Also widening the field of view by asking players of different kinds of games would give a more complete understanding of the gaming culture as a whole, not just World of Warcraft players.

Contributions to science: The study gives a more personal and empirical view on what is considered valuable in an online game world. Previous studies have mostly relied on theories and observations. The aim also is to further to connect traditional capital theory on a relatively new field, the gaming culture, and legitimize it as a serious field of study.